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AccSys/Hitachi Alliance Formed for Proton Linac Production in Japan
Pleasanton, CA - February 18, 1999
Dr. Robert W. Hamm, President and CEO of AccSys Technology, Inc. announced
today that his company has licensed the production of its compact proton linear
accelerator (linac) to Hitachi, Ltd. for manufacture in Japan and distribution
in Japan, Australia and Asia. This non-exclusive license covers the 7 MeV proton
linac recently delivered to Hitachi as the injector for the proton therapy
synchrotron being constructed for the Proton Therapy Center at Tsukuba
University and includes its use for particle therapy and particle research. The
agreement also covers future product improvements made by both parties.
According to Dr. Hamm, "This license agreement will significantly expand the
use of our technology as a proton synchrotron injector in that part of the world
with Hitachi employing it in all new synchrotron systems. We believe that the
AccSys linac will continue to be the proton linear accelerator of choice
world-wide for this important therapeutic medical application." Therapeutic use
of a precise beam of high energy protons improves a physicians' ability to treat
patients who have cancers of the brain, eye, head and neck, spinal cord, lungs,
abdomen, pelvis, prostate and other organs and tissues, as well as patients who
have non-cancerous disorders, such as certain forms of macular degeneration of
the eye, arterio-venous malformations in the brain, and benign brain tumors.
AccSys installed its first proton linac in 1989 as the synchrotron injector at
the Loma
Linda University Proton Therapy Center in Loma Linda, CA where it continues
to be used as a key component in a system that treats more than 100 patients
each day.
Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading
global electronic companies, with fiscal 1997 (ending March 31, 1998)
consolidated sales of 8,417 billion yen ($63.8 billion). The company
manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers,
semiconductors, consumer products, and power and industrial equipment. For more
information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit Hitachi's web site.
AccSys Technology has been the world's leading commercial producer of rf ion
linacs since it was founded in 1985. In addition to synchrotron injector linacs
and custom linear accelerators for special
applications, the company manufactures its PULSAR® and
LANSAR® product lines. PULSAR® systems represent the
next generation of equipment for the production of positron radiotracers, which
are used in medicine for research and diagnostic imaging. LANSAR® units are
powerful, compact neutron sources designed for reliable long-term operation in
non-destructive testing applications. AccSys has produced and installed 17 rf
ion linac systems worldwide since 1987.
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